Suddenly, I mattered.
Part 4 — Ten Seconds Changed Everything
“Please sit,” Christopher said.
He hurried around the counter.
“There’s no reason for you to stand.”
He pulled out a chair for me.
Ten seconds earlier, that chair had apparently been worth more than my dignity.
Now he was offering it himself.
Mary placed the water in front of me.
“Drink slowly.”
“Thank you.”
Then she leaned closer and said quietly, but clearly enough for Christopher to hear:
“There is no thirty-dollar minimum.”
Christopher turned sharply.
“Mary.”
She looked directly at him.
“You made that up.”
The entire café seemed to grow quieter.
Christopher’s jaw tightened.
A moment later, he disappeared behind the counter.
He returned carrying a coffee, a sandwich, and a bowl of water for Benny.
He put the bowl down first.
“For him.”
Then he placed the sandwich in front of me.
“And this is complimentary.”
I looked at the plate.
